Shadow Borne (Shadows #3)

  Shadow Borne

  by

  Angie West

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Cover by Rachelle Gould-Harris.

  Copyright? 2016 Angie West

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission.

  The Shadows Trilogy

  Shadow Cave

  Return to the Shadows

  Shadow Borne

  Also by Angie West

  Spirit of the Wolf

  Incubus

  The Fifth Hour

  Jaxson's Song

  The Game

  Acknowledgments

  A huge thank you goes out to my sister, Jennifer, for all those early brainstorming sessions! Without you, this book wouldn't be what it is today. I would also like to extend a special thank you to my first readers and wonderful beta readers. Aaron, Angela, Amy, Cassy, Diana, Lanie, Nathalie, Robin, and Storm. You guys are amazing.

  Dedication

  For Aleksander. Welcome to the world, my friend. May it forever be filled with love, adventure, hope, and an enduring sense of wonder.

  Chapter One

  Reopened Wounds

  Border patrol. My least favorite task of the day. Oh, I'm sure I could have come up with a thing or two that might be considered worse, if I had to, but at the end of the day, what did it matter? I reasoned with infallible logic and shifted uncomfortably against the heavy chain link vest. I hated wearing the damn things. They clung to the male soldiers' chests but on me they hung clear to mid-thigh. The bow fit nicely in my hand. I exhaled, slung a leather-bound quiver of arrows across my back, and stared at the forest beyond. Soon it would be dark.

  The changing of the guards, as it was, took place in six-hour increments now that we were so great in numbers. I recalled the half-a-day long shifts of the not too distant past, right after the war began and mass confusion, chaos really, had reigned supreme.

  Dark days, I reflected with an uneasy frown. It wasn't something any of us liked to talk about. Hell, it wasn't something I even wanted to think about, though I often forced myself to do exactly that, having learned the hardest way possible that it doesn't pay to hide from reality, no matter how foul or ugly it may be.

  May have been, I silently corrected, narrowing my eyes and doing a slow sweep of the darkening shadows that gathered with the swiftly approaching night. Life hadn't been truly foul or ugly in a while, though there was no denying most days the memories of pain and loss were still too fresh and sharp and real. Things weren't perfect and I was enough of a realist to know they never would be. Only blind idiots strive for perfect harmony.

  But, I conceded, we were incredibly fortunate; what began as a thirty person operation had, at last count, swelled to over four hundred strong and our numbers were growing every day thanks to the hard work and dedication of people like Mark and his men and of course Claire.

  The thought of my best friend was enough to make my lips curve gently into a genuine smile. I was supposed to meet up with her after patrol duty was over. For a couple of months now, since the week after her wedding, in fact, Claire and I had been meeting every week for coffee and a late supper. More often than not, we also went night swimming and moon bathing up near the Grandview Springs beach. But that was something we kept a secret between the two of us. Her family tended to be a little on the overprotective side and there was certainly no denying that everyday life in Terlain held a huge potential for violence. I rocked on the balls of my booted feet, flexing the arm that cradled the bow. It seemed as if lately everything was dangerous and there was a good reason for that-for the most part, it was.

  The situation wasn't likely to change anytime soon. In fact, just the opposite was probably closer to the truth. Despite the weeks-long period of relative calm in Terlain, the fine hair at the back of my neck had remained tingling and alert, my skin tight with an awareness that spoke of impending trouble. I glanced at the thick, silent tree line and took a deep breath, then let it out. Lots and lots of trouble.

  Suddenly, a twig snapped, close by, then-

  "Hey-"

  I whirled at the voice, at the sound of footsteps coming up behind me. Lightning quick, a sharp-tipped arrow was held in suspension on the bow and my muscles strained with the effort it took to hold my position, to keep myself in firm check and not shoot.

  The man at the other end of the clearing stopped abruptly and was still, his eyes locked on mine.

  "Aranu." The weapon sagged in my arms until it was pointed at the ground instead of the soldier who had come to relieve me for the night.

  "Aries." He nodded, the expression in his eyes unreadable, but he was once again moving across the wide grassy space that separated us. If my reaction had startled him, and surely it must have, he made no mention of it. Instead he came to stand beside me and simply asked, "Rough afternoon?"

  "No. I haven't heard a peep all day, only a few squirrels and a playful fox." I shrugged.

  The look he gave me was brief and pointed.

  Okay, so I was a bit touchy now and then. So what? My eyes challenged him.

  "You're not taking watch on your own, are you?" I shaded my eyes against imaginary light and scanned the clearing.

  "Li should be here in a few minutes."

  "I can stay with you if he doesn't show." I didn't want to, but of course I would, if it became necessary. Besides, it's not like Claire wouldn't understand if I had to cancel on her and I could just as easily see her tomorrow.

  "Li will be here," Aranu murmured, his back to me as he knelt down and slid a soft deerskin cloth over his heavy broadsword.

  I watched the muscles in his back ripple beneath a black shirt as he polished the weapon to a dull gray shine before carefully setting it aside and picking up a short dagger that he'd kept strapped to his thigh for as long as I'd known him.

  Aranu had grown up in one of the villages not far from the woods of my childhood home and had fought beside me when the first wave of Kahn's guards had come. He was one of the original thirty and I was close to him, or as close as I could get to most people, anyway.

  "Yes, he's reliable if not punctual," I agreed with a brief nod. "Still, you're right, he will be here. Eventually."

  Aranu laughed and went on polishing the dagger. "He's only a few minutes late. You're too hard on the men, Ari."

  "Too hard on the men, right," I scoffed. "First of all, someone has to be," I pointed out, glaring at his broad back. "Not that I think it's even possible to be too tough on a man."

  "No, I suppose you wouldn't," he replied easily, still crouched on the ground.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

  He turned then, glancing at me evenly over one shoulder a second before he rose gracefully to his feet. I only had to crane my neck a little bit to glare up at him and glower I did, for all I was worth. With the exception of Claire, only Aranu would dare to be so bold with me and while I allowed her that familiarity, from him it was intolerable. I didn't stop to question why this was the case. I only knew that deep down, it was.

  "Well?"

  Aranu's gaze dropped to my sides and I watched him take in the way my hands were clenched into tight fists, the way my chest was rising and falling with each sharp intake of breath. He cocked his head to the side as he stood there, clearly trying to decide how far he could push me. I squared my shoulders and kept my gaze level with his own dark-eyed stare, every bit as stone still as he was. More so, becaus
e I had to be.

  "Guys?" Li's deep voice shattered the intense battle-of-wills standoff. He walked up to us with a deceptively casual stride; Li was tough, despite the easy charm he exuded. Right now he was blatantly curious.

  "Nothing. I meant?nothing." Aranu held my gaze for a moment longer before he turned and walked to the edge of the forest, giving me his back.

  "Fine," I bit out, irritation rising. "See that you don't bring it up again."

  "I only meant that you're tough," he said without turning around.

  "That's right, I am, and you'd do well to keep that in mind." I took a deep breath, almost a gasp really, and glanced quickly to the west so that Li-and Aranu, should he decide to turn around-wouldn't see the turmoil I was certain would be obvious in my flushed face.

  Why was I being such a bitch? I liked Aranu, most of the time anyway. We had grown up together. He wasn't a bad person, I reminded myself, feeling composed enough now to toss a glance at his stiff-shouldered form.

  "I expect it'll be a quiet night." I spoke the words to Li, though I continued to stare at Aranu.

  "Let's hope, eh?" Li smiled and I gave him a curt nod in return.

  "Yes." I managed a tight smile, still smarting over the terse exchange with Aranu. "I'm leaving now. Look for me at Claire's if there's a problem before Wednesday."

  "Two days without patrol." Li tsked. "You'll go soft, Aries."

  I choked out a laugh and shook my head. "Dream on. I'm leading a rescue mission to Coztal. I'll be back in a week, if all goes well. If not?"

  I lifted one shoulder and let the statement trail off. It went without saying, if there was trouble, the projected one-week time frame would be shot to hell and there was always the chance I wouldn't make it back at all, though not if I could help it.

  "Stay safe." Li gave me a brief salute.

  "You, too." With one final glance at Aranu's back, I shrugged and walked away.